Darkest before dawn
by spike summers
Summary: Dawn and Spike fluff
1. this night

This is a challenge fiction. This is the outline I was given...  
  
Challenge: Dawn spike shipper Not romance Got the idea of spike taking care of dawn while Buffy's gone Includes two of the fallowing: Dawn having a fight Spike teaching her to fight Dawn being hurt Spike talking to Buffy about treating dawn like a grownup Dawn visiting spike in his crypt Dawn running away and spike going with her Dru finding dawn Xander and spike being friends  
  
He stopped outside the bedroom door, looking in at the room that only a week before had been a normal place. Curtains thoughtfully picked out and sewed by a mother, comforter on the bed, and pink dresser for clothes. All of it painted or changed as she turned into a teen. The once pink curtains now hung with bright orange lace over it in a flurried fashion. The comforter on her bed replaced by a blue blanket with yellow stars and suns. The dresser sanded and a rose etched in the centre. Clothes were thrown to the floor near her unmade bed. Blankets and pillows fallen on the floor sometime during the night.  
  
He stepped inside, carefully avoiding anything valuable that had fallen on the floor. And walked towards the window, opening the curtains and parting them slightly, so more moonlight could fill the small room.  
  
Dawn was lying asleep on her bed, wearing her jeans and shirt she had earlier that night, she only took off her shoes. As he watched the teen sleep a small smile grew on his face. She was safe; she didn't have a worry in the world. Why should that change? It wasn't fair to make her responsible for anything that had happened in the last week. School didn't matter, chores or work. She had lost a mother and sister in the same year. And as she slept, none of it mattered. It almost wasn't fair.  
  
She had cried to sleep, not that anyone noticed but him. He watched her cry from outside, listening to her tears fall, breaking his own heart. After he was sure everyone had gone home, he climbed up the tree by her window and climbed in. She was still crying and didn't stop until he held her and rubbed her back. After that she just fell asleep, letting him stay the night.  
  
He walked to her bed and sat next to her. His bruised hand cautiously reached up to her soft peach one. He ran a finger over her wrist and down her arm. Soft and warm, just the way a girl should be. Spike got off the bed and lay on the floor in front of her bed. It was going to be a long night.  
  
**  
  
  
  
This is the first chapter in a hopefully good story. I want 10 reviews before I write anymore. Tell me what you think. What should happen in the next chapter? How long you think it should be. Anything just review. Your opinion matters to me. 


	2. wake up

She woke with a gasp, her eyes flying around the room erratically and any movement sending her into a spin. Her door was wide open, the handle looked dull from her spot on the bed, a smear of color ran along the wall. No, not color, it was a dullness, seeming to rust things it rested on. A long trail of the rust ran from a smear across her door down her floor, over a few blankets and ended on the other side of her bed. She cautously leaned over looking to the spot spike had laid the night before. He either wasn't there or he had left in a hurry as she pulled the blankets back not seeing anyone there. Her hands came back from the blankets in blood and from what light was spilling in the room a smoky haze started to form. The teen looked at her blankets and frantically pulled them out of the sunlight, the brighter the spot of light the worse her poor blankets were sinjed. One corner with her initals had a spot of flame burning on it that she swatted out before closeing the window and curtin and looking around. There wasnt so much blood that she woke from the daze she was in since buffy had died. But finding a puddle by your bed isn't something you see everyday. Dawn walked across the room in a zombie state, her long blue shirt sleve covered her palms as she wiped up a few spots on the floor. Then, padding to the door she wiped the smear of blood dulling the shine her door knob usually had. Her palm was slightly wet and her sleve permently stained by the time she walked around her room. Buffy had alwayse said lectured her on keeping the room clean. For some reason it anoyed her that blankets and pillows were on the floor.

Creeping out carefully Dawn peeked in her wiccan friends room checking if she was awake yet. The kind witch had promised to watch over her as had her vampire protector. She sniffed once and closed willows door wondering down the hall her shorts barly covered by the baggy shirt. The sleves flopped back and forth untill she was anoyed enought to cross her arms over her chest and growl to herself. "stupid jerk, he said he would be here but he's not". In the back of her mind a nagging voice tanted her, 'was he ever, dose anyone even care about you'. She pushed the voice aside and stopped outside the bathroom door hearing a low curse and seeing the light on. Her hands cautously pressed against the wood and she leaned into it untill a deffinate "bloody hell" woke her. She pushed the door open instantly and throught the steam from a previous warm shower, she saw spike, sitting at the edge of the tub a towel on his waist. He looked up not moving much and reached down to pull another towel across his knees before he met her eyes.

"Bit?" Dawn ran forward throwing herself in his arms and heard him muffle a moan before she let go. "i thought you left, there was blood, and it smoked and the room was empty"

The vampire smiled, hugging her back and resting his cheek on the top of her head and held onto give her strenght. "slow down bit, you need to breath" He felt her nod before letting her go and reaching down to grab his leg tightly bitting his lip.

The girl frowned, her beatuiful eyes drawing in saddness again and her delecate eyebrows pushing toughter as she looked down to his hand. From what she could see, the parts his extra towel or his hand covered were black. Not black and blue from brusing but outright black and a red drop dripped from his hand even as she looked on. Falling to the floor in the same her's had forming a portal.

Spike sat up straight his hand relaxing slightly to regrip his leg before pulling the blanket completly over down to his ankle. "go get red..." he watched her eyes and added a "please" before she rose, not arguing and ran for willows room.

Authros note: Thank you very very much for the reviews trust me i dont like making people wait for updates cause i hate waiting. however in the last year i have lost 3 computers and this one is dying. what dose the mean.. that means 1. no spell check, or grammar check 2. cant update unless its weekends and i have to have it typed up before i go home for the weekend.  
3. DONT LET Pagens BE ON COMPUTERS ok?  
so for who ever sent the 10th review i really thank you for your patience and i feel really respected that you guys like my writting ill never put a review altamatium again ok? 


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